Tuesday, 11 September 2012

'Slightly Dull Cover Art!' - 'Black Bottle' (Anthony Huso)

I never read Anthony Huso's 'The Last Page' (couldn't get into it for reasons that escape me now) so wasn't really sure whether to read 'Black Bottle' or not. That still doesn't stop me thinking that the cover art for 'Black Bottle' is ever so slightly, well... look at it,

Wow... A rusty looking cityscape obscured by, I'm not sure... An attempt at sunbeams? An attempt at highlighting the title? This sort of thing never did my primary school work any favours either... But hey, there are airships in the corner so that makes everything steampunk and that's ok isn't it? Not really, no...

The blurb looks intriguing though,

Tabloids sold in the Duchy of Stonehold claim that the High King, Caliph Howl, has been raised from the dead. His consort, Sena Iilool, both blamed and celebrated for this act, finds that a macabre cult has sprung up around her.

As this news spreads, Stonehold—long considered unimportant—comes to the attention of the emperors in the southern countries. They have learned that the seed of Sena’s immense power lies in an occult book, and they are eager to claim it for their own.

Desperate to protect his people from the southern threat, Caliph is drawn into a summit of the world’s leaders despite the knowledge that it is a trap. As Sena’s bizarre actions threaten to unravel the summit, Caliph watches her slip through his fingers into madness.

But is it really madness? Sena is playing a dangerous game of strategy and deceit as she attempts to outwit a force that has spent millennia preparing for this day. Caliph is the only connection left to her former life, but it’s his blood that Sena needs to see her plans through to their explosive finish.

Like I said, really not sure about this one? Did anyone here read 'The Last Page'?

4 comments:

Mad Hatter Review said...

Black Bottle would be a very difficult book to get through without having read all of The Last Page.

Graeme Flory said...

That's pretty much where I'm at to be honest. I've got a few books that I want to read first but it might be time to give 'The Last Page' another go.

SQT said...

If you looked at the picture by itself you could say it's interesting. But as a book cover it's so non-specific that it gives no clue as to what the book is about-- which defeats the purpose of a book cover.

Graeme Flory said...

You just summed it up a whole lot better than I did :o)